Out of Space, Out of Time
by xxHawkeye
Summary: When an accident leaves one of their own in a coma, it's a race against time to find out what happened.
1. Chapter 1

Garcia woke up groaning, everything hurt. Opening her eyes, she quickly realised she was in a hospital room, surrounded by her team; Morgan holding her left hand, Rossi holding her right hand. Hotch was looking out the window, JJ and Emily were asleep on the couch and Reid was asleep in a chair. ''Sir? What happened?'' she asked, her voice hoarse. Hotch didn't turn around and kept looking outside, acting as if he didn't hear her. Careful to not wake up the two men by her side, she got up on her elbows but winced in pain and settled back against the pillows. Hotch's lack of a reaction started to worry her, ''sir?'' she asked in a shaky voice, still no answer. Starting to panic, she pushed the emergency button repeatedly but no nurse came. She then tried to wake up Rossi and Morgan but to no avail. Not understanding what was happening and feeling panic taking control of her, she started to cry and yell out her teams names. Finally, Hotch turned around and looked at her, ''I'm sorry sir, I'm just so confued. I called you but you didn't answer and I just panicked! What's going on?'' she said but Hotch just looked down and turned back towards the window. Sobbing again and more confused than ever, she tried yelling again and hope sprung in her chest when Rossi stirred and sat up looking at Hotch. ''Been there long?'' asked Rossi as he stretched. Hotch turned again and looked at Rossi. Having enough, Garcia yelled angrily, ''will somebody please tell me what's going on?'' Much to her dismay, Hotch and Rossi ignored her, ''been thinking'' he said and looked at Garcia. ''Aaron, what's going on?'' asked Rossi, suddenly worried. Hotch just shook his head, ''it's nothing'' he answered. Rossi opened his mouth to say something but before he could the door opened and in walked a doctor.

The team started to wake up slowly while the doctor went over to Garcia and checked the monitors, then her bandages. ''Doctor, can you please tell me what's going on?'' asked Garcia but like everybody else, he ignored her. ''So? What did the tests say?'' asked Reid. The doctor sighed and looked at all the team members before speaking, ''Well. It's not good news'' he said, ''the trauma is extensive, so are her injuries. She has 3 broken ribs, 2 fractured ribs, fractured femur as well as a dislocated shoulder. These will heal within a couple of months''. Garcia started to understand why she was hurting so badly, ''I'm sensing a 'but''' said Rossi. The doctor sighed again, ''she's got a severe concussion, which is why she hasn't woken up yet'' he said, ''English please'' said Hotch. ''Whoa! Hold on! Read your monitors better doc 'cause I'm wide awake!'' snapped Garcia. ''It means she's in a coma'' said Reid. ''That's exact. There's no way to say this and I must warn you it may come as a shock'' said the doctor. Looking down at Garcia before turning back at the team, ''the chances of Ms. Garcia waking up are extremely slim. The concussion made her brain swell. We will do everything we can to help swell down her brain. The best we can do right now is make her comfortable.'' Garcia couldn't believe what she was hearing, ''all right, enough with the jokes, very funny'' she said and looked around but everyone were still ignoring her, ''come on guys, stop joking around'' she said but they still didn't react. ''I'm sorry to have to say this but maybe you out to consider pulling the plug'' said the doctor.

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**Disclaimer; I don't own Criminal Minds, unfortunately. **

**I've had this idea in my head for a while so I just wrote it out, hope you guys enjoy it. Comments are greatly appreciated :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Hotch put his head in his hand, the team were speechless. The doctor bowed his head and left, leaving a stunned team behind. Emily and JJ had started to cry, the rest of the team were speechless for a couple of minutes until Rossi got his voice back, ''if any of you even dare touch that plug, I will personally bury you alive'' he said. Reid looked at Rossi and then at Garcia and then back at Rossi, ''what if she's in pain? Are we to just stand around and let her suffer?'' asked Reid. ''She's in a coma Reid, she doesn't feel anything'' snapped Morgan, ''recent studies have shown that comatose patients are fully able to feel pain'' stated Reid, ''so if I have to choose between letting her suffer and letting her die, I'd rather let her die''. Everybody looked at him, shocked by what he had just said. ''Spencer, how could you say such a thing? How could you even think it?!'' cried Emily. ''I'd rather not let her be in pain!'' snapped back Reid, ''but we're talking about Garcia here!'' yelled JJ. ''If it were anyone of us lying there, she'd want us to be at peace and not suffer!'' yelled back Reid. A full-blown argument erupted between the team, minus Hotch who still had his head in his hand, and Reid.

Meanwhile, Garcia was watching the scene in horror, hurt that her boy genius was thinking of pulling the plug on her. She understood that he had her best interest at heart, but it still hurt. ''Guys!'' she yelled, but unable to hear her, the team continued to yell at each other. Getting up she went to Hotch and touched his arm but he didn't react, ''please do something'' she whispered in tears. As if he heard her, he yelled out ''everybody shut up!'' the room went silent, ''if Reid is right and she does feel pain, then she must be suffering a lot right now because of the racket we're doing.'' The team turned around to look at the peaceful face of their friend, wondering what she might be feeling. ''How about we keep quiet when we come here?'' suggested JJ, everyone agreed. ''Now that we've got that settled, let's remember to keep our calm. We are professionals. Yes, we've got a colleague and a dear friend in a coma, it's not reason to forget our place; we are FBI agents, and we represent the FBI at all times, so be on your best behaviour. Got it?'' said Hotch rather coldly. ''Nicely put Agent Hotchner'', everybody turned around. Strauss was standing at the door looking at everyone, ''I understand how you all feel but Agent Hotchner is right''. Walking to the bed and looking at Garcia for a second, she then turned around to look at the team once again, ''I talked with the director and the local PD, we are giving you 72 hours to work this case'' she said before turning around and leaving. ''The ice queen has a heart'' said Garcia. The team were also stunned, staring at the door like idiots until Hotch spoke up, ''alright, we've got 72 hours. Dave and I will check out the scene. JJ, talk with the media, have a conference, ask for any information available. Reid, Prentiss and Morgan, head over to the BAU and start victimology, and going over available evidence'' said Hotch. ''Wait, somebody should stay with Garcia'' said JJ. ''Studies show that comatose patiens are in severe pain when loved ones talk to them'' stated Reid before getting a glare from Hotch, Rossi and Morgan, ''just saying'' he said. ''I'll stay with her. We can switch later on'' said Morgan, ''I'll take second shift'' said Rossi. They left leaving Morgan with his baby girl. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and took her hand in his, ''I don't know if he's right, I hope he's not. Baby girl, please come back to us, come back to me'' he said before squeezing her hand.

When Garcia first woke up that morning, she didn't understand what was happening. When the doctor said she was in a coma, she finally understood what was going on, more or less; she understood why her team didn't react when she first woke up. What she didn't understand though was how she could do whatever she was doing. It was some sort of astral projection, ''I'll have to ask my boy genius when I wake up'' she thought, ''that is, if I ever wake up.''

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**The coma part is actually a true study that I read about, here is the link if you wish to read the article:**

articles/study-finds-hearing-loved-ones-voice-induces-excru,27035/

**Comments are greatly appreciated! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Hotch and Rossi arrived at the scene of the accident and joined the officer on the scene, ''SSA Hotchner, this is SSA Rossi'' said Hotch as he shook hands, ''Detective Grey'' said the man, ''I don't mean to sound rude but what's the FBI's interest in a simple car accident? The woman fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. I don't understand why you'd take an interest in this''. Hotch and Rossi looked at each other before turning back at the detective, ''the woman involved in this accident is an FBI technical analyst'' said Hotch, ''and she did not fall asleep at the wheel'' said Rossi, ''All due respect, all signs point towards having fallen asleep. There is no evidence that suggests otherwise'' said the detective, ''how about you pack it up and let us finish here?'' Rossi, who was starting to like the detective less and less, took a step forward, ''all due respect, detective, the woman has a name; Penelope Garcia, and I know her enough to know she wouldn't drive if she was tired, she didn't fall asleep at the wheel'' he said, ''so how about you pass the case to someone less biased and opinionated?'' the officer stared at Rossi before moving aside, '' feel free to look around'' he said harshly. Rossi walked towards the crime scene unit while Hotch stopped in front of the detective; ''I'm sorry for what he said, she's a dear friend to us. We were given 72 hours to work this case'' he said and followed Rossi.

In fact, Hotch was as pissed as Rossi and wanted to tell the detective what was really on his mind but as unit chief he had to hold it together. ''So what do you think happened?'' asked Hotch when he joined Rossi, who just shrugged, ''I don't know what to think right now'' he said as he looked around; there were car pieces all over the place, the car had flipped over many times before crashing in a tree, it was a miracle she had survived at all. ''Are there animals around here?'' asked Rossi. The CSI he had addressed looked up from his work, ''yeah. Wild animals venture up to the road all the time'' he said, ''where are you getting at?'' asked Hotch, ''she's the kindest woman in the whole world. Maybe she veered off the road trying to avoid hitting an animal''. Hotch looked around and nodded, ''I don't think so'' said the CSI, ''here'' he said pointing to a piece of car, ''you see that? Paint transfer. And up the road are two different sets of skid marks. My best guess would be that someone either tried to run her off the road or a drunk driver was in the wrong lane''. Hotch looked at the piece of car, ''you sure about this?'' he asked the CSI, ''yes sir''. Rossi scoffed and looked at the detective who was talking to a patrol officer by his car, ''wonder why he said there were no 'supporting' evidence'' said Rossi. The CSI chuckled as he packed his kit, ''he's on sort of probation. The Captain wants to pull him out of the field permanently. He says he's rude, biased and always tries to hurry up with the cases but Grey convinced him to let him have this one to prove he was still good'' said the CSI. Hotch held his tongue and glared at Rossi to do the same as the detective met them, ''so what does the evidence say?'' he asked sarcastically. Rossi closed his eyes and started to breathe deeply, ''paint transfer and two sets of skid marks. There definitely was another vehicle involved'' said the CSI before leaving. The detective's face fell, ''I suggest you think of passing the case to someone else'' said Hotch before heading back to the SUV.

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**I know the first couple of chapters were short, further chapters will be longer.**

**Will update when possible. **

**Comments are greatly appreciated as always :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated and for that I am sorry. I've actually written this chapter a couple months ago but with all the homework and exams I had to study for, I never had the time to publish it. When exams were FINALLY over, I thought I'd have some time to publish and write more chapters but no time at all in between all the shoveling and the Christmas shopping. So here is Chapter 4, more chapters to come after Christmas.**

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to everyone! I truly hope you all have a wonderful Holidays, and if not look at the positive side of things :)**

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Morgan sat by Garcia's bed and looked at her. She had so many tubes running in and out of her. He wondered if she was aware of what was going on around her, if she was aware of how scared everyone was. Why was she on that road? Where was she going, or coming from? Morgan laid back in his seat a minute and thought about that road, and quickly realised it was one of the many roads towards Rossi's mansion, Hotch's apartment, and the FBI building. Was she leaving the Hoover building? Or going to meet with Rossi or Hotch? Ever since she had broken up with Kevin, she had gotten closer to both Hotch and Rossi; when she wasn't with Rossi, she was with Hotch and Jack. He had wondered if a romance had sparked between his Baby Girl and Rossi, he wouldn't be surprised if Rossi had seduced her and gotten his way with her. The thought that they were together passed through his mind more often when he saw Rossi's reaction when he arrived at the hospital, and when Rossi said he'd bury alive anyone who even dared think to unplug her and let her die. He was jealous. He hated to admit it, but he was jealous. Penelope was HIS Baby Girl, and he didn't like the idea of Rossi, the legendary Lothario, being with HIS Baby Girl. The idea of Hotch and Baby Girl didn't occur to him, Penelope wasn't Hotch's type. Morgan shook his head, ''if Baby Girl was seeing anyone, she'd tell me'' he whispered.

Garcia, who was sitting on her bed, between herself and Morgan, looked at him in disbelief, ''no worries my Chocolate God, if I were seeing anyone, you'd be the first to know. Followed by JJ. In your memorable words; I need either Rossi's, Hotch's, or your approval to date someone so that the Battle fiasco, or the Lynch fiasco, doesn't happen again'' she said. Sighing again, she put her hand on top of Morgan's, he didn't notice anything. Sighing again, she got up, ''I wonder if I can get out of here'' she said and went through the door, ''wow, I guess I can get out!'' Garcia looked at her hospital room before leaving the hospital. She went outside and quickly realised she didn't feel tired or sore anymore, as well as the night chill. Bearing a small smile, she decided to try and find her friends. First, she went to the Hoover building. Prentiss and Reid were sitting in the conference room, looking over evidence from the scene.

''I'm sure she was going home'' said Reid, ''No, her apartment is towards the other way'' replied Prentiss, ''then where could she have been going?'' asked Reid, ''Hotch and Rossi's place is towards that way. Besides that, maybe she was seeing someone that lived on that side of town'' answered Prentiss. ''Oh honestly Emily, if I were seeing someone, EVERYONE would know!'' sighed Garcia. JJ suddenly came in, ''I spent over half an hour with the media, 1 hour answering the phone and still no information that could help'' she said and fell down in a chair, exhausted. ''That bad?'' asked Reid, ''a woman called claiming saw the accident from her living room window. She lives Pennsylvania.'' said JJ. Prentiss snorted, ''wow, she must have a sixth sense or something'' she laughed. Garcia rolled her eyes, ''and then, a man called said that Garcia was his wife and unfortunately, she wasn't in a coma, she was standing right beside him'' continued JJ. Prentiss laughed at that, ''seriously? That is the craziest thing I've ever heard!'' she said and started to laugh again. Rossi entered the conference room, ''what's so funny?'' he asked, he seemed to be in a bad mood. ''Some woman in Pennsylvania said she saw the accident from her living room window, and a man said Garcia was his wife and that quote unquote wasn't in a coma, she was standing beside him'' said JJ. Rossi snorted, ''where's Hotch?'' asked Reid, ''he had to go home. Jessica called, Jack's sick'' answered Rossi. ''Oh, poor Jack! Maybe I could go see him, watch over him?'' said Garcia, ''well, I'm gonna head over to the hospital. Morgan's gonna be over in a few after I relieve him'' said Rossi and left.

An hour later, Garcia was in front of Hotch's door. Taking a deep breath, she went through with no problem and smiled. She heard a cough and her smile immediately disappeared. She started to make her way towards the coughing sounds but stopped when she saw Hotch coming out of Jack's room, ''Listen, we've only got a limited amount of time to solve this case. No disrespect to the LEO's but this is Garcia, and as her team, her family, we have to solve this. So continue working and don't stop until you drop dead! I'll work from here with the files I brought'' he said into the phone, ''alright. Oh and by the way, there's some asshole detective working the case, a detective Grey. He's trying to put it off as falling asleep at the wheel, don't trust him and try not to include him too much'' he hung up. Lifting his head, he stared straight into Garcia's eyes. The phone slipped his hand and fell to the floor. Moving slowly forward, he stopped a couple feet away from Garcia and stared at her, ''Garcia?'' he said in shock.

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**Another authors note: I know, I know! A little cliché right? I wrote this during one of my extremely boring Humanities class sometime in November, the idea came to me after I fell asleep in my very boring English class .. please, be kind; I'm only human and can only take so much of boredom in a class, besides, that particular class, my teacher got mixed up with his schedule or something and taught us the same thing he taught us 2 days earlier, no joke!**

**Anyways! So, reviews are always appreciated, so are criticisms. You like it, awesome! You don't like it, then you don't like it; you are entitled to your own opinions as well as likes and dislikes. Feel free to let me know anyways :)**

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Years :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel! Feliz Navidad! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! So, this is my Christmas gift to you all; the next chapter. I had written a couple chapters for both this story and my other story, I just need to find them. Unfortunately, I will not be updating until next week, so you guys will have to be patient for a little while! So, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to review. :)**

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Garcia starred at Hotch, ''you can see me?'' she whispered. He simply nodded his head, obviously still shocked. ''Oh thank God!'' she yelled, ''I've been trying to get you guys to see me ALL DAY LONG!'' Hotch quickly regained his ability to speak, ''you've been awake all day?'' he said, ''Yes! I woke up this morning, you were all in my room but nobody heard me, nobody saw me, I started to panic and I didn't understand anything!'' she said. Hotch closed his eyes for a few minutes and opened them again, ''still here'' said Garcia in a joyful tone. Sighing loudly, Hotch felt the tension from the day start to leave him, he grabbed his cell and dialed a number. Garcia sat on a chair facing Hotch and waited, ''Rossi'' Hotch said hesitantly, ''why didn't you tell me Garcia was out of the hospital'' he said.

Rossi, who had just entered Garcia's room, looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Morgan looked at Rossi and could see the confusion on his face, ''what are you talking about Aaron?'' he said. Morgan sat at the edge of Garcia's bed, ''Aaron, are you feeling alright?'' said Rossi, ''You sure? Maybe you caught whatever Jack has because Garcia's still lying in her bed and hooked up to a bunch of tubes.'' Morgan stared at him with a bewildered look on his face, ''do me a favor; get some rest. If you're still having hallucinations after you wake up, give me a call and I'll set you up with my doctor, alright? Get some rest'' said Rossi before hanging out. ''What's up?'' asked Morgan, ''I think Hotch is exhausted, he says Garcia's sitting in his kitchen'' answered Rossi. Morgan let out a snort, ''either he's really exhausted or he caught whatever Jack has'' answered Morgan. Rossi looked at Garcia, ''nothing changed. Doc came by a couple minutes ago. He'll come by again tonight. You know who's relieving you?'' said Morgan, ''JJ, and then Prentiss. I think Hotch is after but I'm not sure. Reid said he doesn't see the point but he'll come for an hour or two'' answered Rossi. Morgan nodded, he patted Rossi's shoulder and left.

Rossi sat down in the seat that Morgan had just left, he held her hand, ''No worries Kitten, we'll find out who did this to you'' he said. He thought back to a couple months ago, when she broke up with Lynch. He needed a file and went to her lair, only to find her crying. He brought her home that night, made supper for her, gave her wine, a good back massage and then let her stay in his guest bedroom seeing as she had a bottle to herself. Since that night, they had gotten closer, they hadn't gotten to the friendly flirting but she did spend her weekends at his cabin. She had told him she had fallen in love with a team member but didn't believe he'd have feelings for her considering she wasn't his type. Rossi was taken aback by the low self-confidence she had, but gave it back to her when he told her ''I've seen many women in my life, dated many models, but none of them come close to your beauty. Unlike them, you are beautiful inside and out. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met and if he doesn't love you back, then he doesn't deserve you.'' She had cried and thanked him for his words, and decided she was going to take a chance and tell him how she felt. That was the night of her accident. He encouraged her to go see him, to tell him how she felt, he told her that if he didn't reciprocate her feelings he'd punch him and give her permission to ruin his credit rating. She laughed, hugged him, kissed him on the cheek and left.

He knew Morgan thought him and Garcia were together, he wouldn't be a profiler if he didn't know what Morgan was thinking about him and Garcia. He loved her, but not as a lover. There was an odd comfort between them, and he realised during their time together what a wonderful woman she was, how strong and amazing she was. He understood why every agent at the Hoover building adored her and would die to protect her. He vowed he'd protect her, no matter what, and he had already failed. ''He seemed depressed. Did he tell her he didn't feel the same way?'' wondered Rossi outloud. He sighed and laid back in his seat but jumped when the door open and JJ came in. He looked at his watch and couldn't believe that three hours had already gone by. ''Any news?'' she asked, ''nope. The docs gonna come later on. Take care of her please'' he whispered. He bent down to kiss her forehead and left in JJ's capable hands. ''Well, I guess it's just you and me'' she said and sat down in Rossi's now vacant seat.

Hotch had taken Rossi's advice, he ignored the fact that Garcia was in his kitchen, made sure Jack was asleep and went to bed. He woke up a couple hours later only to find Garcia lying down next to him, head popped up on her hand, smiling. ''Sleep well?'' she asked, he sighed loudly, ''alright, let's just pretend you really are here'' he said and faced her, ''can you help us with your case?'' he asked. Her smile started to fade, ''I'd love to my liege but I don't remember much. I wasn't drunk, if that's what you are wondering, and I didn't fall asleep at the wheel. I remember a car behind me and then nothing'' she said quietly. He nodded, ''it's starting to come back though, I get small pieces of what happened every now and then'' she said. Hotch's phone rang, ''Hotchner'' he said, ''alright, call the others, we'll meet in Garcia's room'' he hung up. ''What's up?'' she asked, ''new evidence'' he said and started to get ready.

Half an hour later, the team and Strauss were in Garcia's room waiting for Hotch and Rossi. Finally, they entered together, Garcia following Hotch. ''What's going on?'' asked Morgan, ''new evidence. The CSI that was investigating the scene found that there was someone else at the scene'' said Hotch. ''We already knew that'' replied Reid, ''what Hotch meant was that there was someone who was beside the cars window after the accident, and it wasn't a medic or a firefighter'' answered Rossi. Everybody was silent for a while, ''I don't remember anyone being by my car after the accident. Only a dark car following me, then he tried passing me and hit my car making me crash'' said Garcia. Hotch nodded but didn't say anything. ''By the way, are you still having that hallucination?'' asked Rossi, Hotch looked at him and then at Garcia, who was sitting beside herself, and then back at Rossi, ''it's not a hallucination'' said Hotch. Rossi looked at him as if he had grew a second head, ''What hallucination?'' asked Reid, ''it's not a hallucination'' sighed Hotch, ''is this the 'I see Garcia in my kitchen' hallucination from earlier?'' asked Morgan, ''wait, you saw Garcia in your kitchen?'' asked Reid, ''it's not a hallucination and yes, I saw Garcia in my kitchen'' said Hotch a little louder. He looked around, the team thought he was crazy, ''I'm not crazy!'' he said forcefully. He saw Garcia walking around the room and laughing, ''care to help me'' he asked her, the team looked at each other, worried. ''Agent Hotchner, am I to understand that you are seeing things?'' asked Strauss, he sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hand, ''Reid has Twilight in his satchel'' said Garcia suddenly, ''Reid, you've got Twilight in your satchel'' said Hotch. Everybody looked at Reid, ''why were you looking through my satchel? If you needed something, you could of had asked'' he said, ''Garcia told me'' answered Hotch. Rossi scoffed, ''Alright. Sure. What do I have in my pocket?'' he asked. Garcia smiled and looked through his pockets, ''oh, this is nice. He's got a Marine Medal of Honor'' she said. Aaron rolled his eyes, ''medal of honor'' he answered. Rossi looked shocked, he dug into his pocket and took out the medal. Everyone was silent, until JJ broke the silence, ''so, she's here with us right now?'' she asked in a whisper. Aaron nodded, ''I don't know how, I don't know why but yeah. Thing is, she doesn't remember much but she said bits and pieces are coming back to her.'' They all nodded and looked over at Garcia in the bed.

Minutes turned to hours and the team started to fall asleep. It was completely silent except for the beeping of the machines that had a certain rhythm to it. Aaron was sitting on the window seal and looked outside, Garcia by his side. They had been talking about various things going on in their lives. Suddenly Garcia got up, ''Aaron, something's wrong'' she said and then all of a sudden, the machines started to go off. Everybody got up, ''somebody get a doctor'' yelled Morgan, before someone could go, a doctor and three nurses came in. Everybody were ushered out, the last thing the team heard before the door was shut in their face was ''charging. Clear'' and the defibrillator machine whirring.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I apologize for not updating sooner, a lot of sh*t has been going on; my computer broke down, school started up again and I was drowning in now my computer is up and running, and I've finally had some time off so I could update ! :) Exams will be starting up at the end of the month so I won't be able to update soon but by next month I'll be able to update on a regular basis! **

**Thank you to those who read and commented, it's greatly appreciated :) **

**Comments are greatly appreciated as always, so are favors and follows :) Enjoy ..!**

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Back at the hospital, the team reunited in Garcia's room. ''Anybody get a hold of Hotch?'' asked JJ, slightly worried. ''He's probably still sleeping. It was a big shock for him'' said Rossi as he looked down at his Kitten. The team nodded and sat down, and kept silent as they listened to the rhythmic beeping of the machines that kept their light alive. Half an hour passed until Hotch came in, and looked around. ''Sleep well?'' asked Rossi, to which Hotch nodded as he sat down on the window ledge, ''and the, um, hallucination?'' he asked. The team raised their heads at this, wondering what Rossi was talking about. Hotch looked past Rossi for a second at Garcia who was sitting beside herself and then back at Rossi, ''you were right, I was simply tired'' answered Hotch with a forced smile. Rossi smiled back and sat back down, right beside both Garcia's.

''I've listened to your voice mails; I agree, it was probably the Unsub. I got a call from the CSI and he told me that they found shoe prints leading back to the road. These footprints don't match anybody's that was at the scene. He's going to check the car for prints, hopefully the Unsub has touched the car and left prints that will lead us straight to him'' said Hotch. The team nodded, ''so what do we do now? We don't have any leads what-so-ever'' asked Reid. ''We work this case just like any other case'' replied Hotch before standing and heading for the door, ''no'' said JJ sternly. Hotch stopped and turned to her, ''Garcia wouldn't want us to treat her like a victim. Remember the Battle case? She almost died and didn't want us to treat her like a victim, so we shouldn't do that now.'' Everybody looked at JJ, ''but, she is a victim'' said Reid. JJ glared at him, ''yes, she is a victim but she's also our friend, and we don't treat friends like a common case'' she said. ''She's right you know'' whispered Garcia and looked at Hotch. He looked at her for a second before looking back at JJ, ''she's right. We can't treat Garcia like a common case. I'm gonna head back to PD, see if we can do anything. I'll call you guys when we get a lead'' he said and started to head out again before the machines hooked up to Garcia started to go haywire.

Hotch turned around but Garcia's ghost, if she could be called that, was nowhere in sights, ''not again'' he whispered to himself. Nurses rushed in, everybody was rushed out, blinds were closed. The team held their breaths while waiting for news on their tech. After a couple minutes the doors opened and the nurses rushed Garcia out and headed towards the elevators. The team followed suit but the nurse stopped them, ''we need to get to the operating room, you can join us there and wait in the waiting area'' she said before leaving with the procession of nurses and doctors that joined the fray.

After a couple hours of waiting, a doctor finally came out. The team got up and rushed towards the doctor before he held up his hand, ''she had internal bleeding. We were able to stabilize her, she'll be alright for now but she's still in a coma'' he said and left. The team returned to her bedside but were asked to leave by the nurse ''she needs rests. You can come back tomorrow'' she said. The team looked at each other, ''I still say someone should stay here with her, just in case'' said JJ, ''I'll stay, it's my turn. Everybody should head back to HQ and work on a profile there'' said Hotch before grabbing a chair and sitting beside the door. The team left while Hotch put his head in his hands, thinking of their quirky tech and how much life would suck if she wasn't there anymore. When she had flat lined, he had hoped he was dreaming again. The fear he felt was real though, and he realised it wasn't a dream. He felt as if he'd never be happy again, as if the light of his life had disappeared, he was afraid he'd have to bury her, and he never wanted to feel that way again.


End file.
